Toronto dodges 2nd storm after Monday’s epic downpour
Posted July 10, 2013 5:52 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto was under a severe thunderstorm watch for most of Wednesday, but the system passed by without causing any damage and all watches and warnings were lifted for the entire GTA just after 7 p.m.
Other parts of southern Ontario weren’t so lucky.
The London area was especially hard hit, with winds gusting up to 90 km/h, Environment Canada told CityNews.
There were also reports of blackouts and large hail in the Guelph area.
Earlier Wednesday, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford admitted he was worried about another big storm after Toronto was rocked by Monday’s downpour.
“Who wouldn’t be after we just went through this? (But) we’re ready for it as best we can and it’s all hands on deck,” he told reporters Wednesday.
Click here for the full weather forecast.
The Toronto region continues to recover from severe flooding caused by record-setting rainfall.
The storm caused widespread power outages with around 300,000 customers without power at one point throughout the city.
Toronto Hydro says the lights are now back on for all but about 600 customers, mostly in Etobicoke.
Toronto Hydro’s Tanya Bruckmueller is warning that people still need to conserve energy because the power system is running on a temporary “single-contingency, no back-up” situation.
“If we overload, a piece of equipment fails or a raccoon chews on something, we’re in the same situation again,” Bruckmueller said.
TTC subway service was fully restored just after noon on Wednesday, with the last holdout on the Bloor-Danforth line. Service had been stopped between Jane and Kipling due to flooding and slowly reopened during the day.
Pearson International Airport recorded 126 millimetres of rain on Monday, breaking the city’s single-day rainfall record set on Oct. 15, 1954, when Hurricane Hazel dumped 121 millimetres of rain.
“It is really, probably the most intense, wettest moment in Toronto’s history,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Philips told The Canadian Press.
“It’s almost like Toronto was a target with a bull’s eye,” he said.
The City of Toronto will be holding a special garbage collection on Saturday for trash caused by the storm. City-issued tags will not be required and bags must be at the curb by 7 a.m.
